As Comic Con marks its fifth edition in the capital, Nishant Singh finds out that while some are highlighting social issues in the comic hub, others want the younger generation to know about traditions and mythology through comics
Remember, supermodel Heidi Klum dressed up as the ferocious goddess Kali at a Halloween bash in 2008? Similarly, this year’s Delhi Comic Con is no less in providing surprises. You can run into people dressed up as pretty much anyone – Karan and Arjun from Hindu mythological epic Mahabharata, an Amazonian warrior princess like Wonder Woman — a character from an American comic or your favourite cartoon character.
One of the most fascinating things at the convention is a comic based on a rape survivor meant to throw light on the social issues. Graphic novel, Priya’s Shakti is based on the real incidents of sexual harassment and patriarchy in our society which will surely leave the readers spellbound.
It’s quite hard to find people like Ram Devineni, who take social issues to a new high through their creative and well-informed approach. Devineni, who is the creator of the comic, Priya’s Shakti, was inspired by real stories like the December 2012 rape case. The US-based documentary film-maker and producer created the story after seeing the patriarchy and prevalent mindset of the people in the society.
He came to India in 2012 and was also part of the protests after a paramedical student was gang-raped. He spoke to a policeman about the incident who blamed the victim for her ordeal. That was the point at which he decided to come up with a comic like this.
It was shocking and sad to see the patriarchal mindset of the people in the Indian society. Especially a cop, whose duty is to save the victim, not to blame them. Just because she is a girl, she can be raped if she is walking late at night? It’s high time that the society needs cleansing and my comic is to make younger generation well-informed about these issues. This little initiative might bring some change in the society, shared Devineni.
While some are bringing in social issues, the others want the younger generation to know about our traditions and mythology. For this, a team of doctors, engineers and artists have come together to create a game of cards called Legend of Vyas, based on the Hindu mythological epic, Mahabharata and its characters.
“We want our younger generation to know and respect our mythology and traditions. In recent times, we are kind of losing interest in our roots and traditions. So, we thought that what would be better than a card game?” shared Raja, who is the marketing director of Legend of Vyas, Vansh Games Pvt Ltd, but professionally a Singapore-based oncologist.
Although, the comic con is primarily a fun event but this time people are more concerned about the social issues. The main attraction for this year is Kristian Nairn, a northern Irish actor and DJ. He is best known for his portrayal of Hodor in the fantasy series Game of Thrones.
War comics were also a huge hit on the first day, major general, GD Bakshi unveiled the World War 2, a comic based on the soldiers of World War 2. For him, war comics had been the source of motivation during his youth and was one of the inspirations to join army, despite his elder brother martyred at the age of 23.
“In my childhood, I used to read a lot of war comics or comics based on soldiers, and it is because of them that I had joined Indian Army. My elder brother martyred at the age of 23 and my family was against my decision of joining the army but I stood firm on my decision of serving my motherland and joined National Defence Academy (NDA). Thoda rona dhona kia meri family ne, par mujhe karna he thha, (Initially, they were sad but then they accepted it), said Bakshi.
This year’s edition has a lot in store for comic’s enthusiasts and audience inclined towards popular culture. The three-day fest has a spectacular line-up of events including international guest appearances, experiential and gaming zones, artist alley, fans sessions, Cosplay, book launches and much more.
The article also got published in The Pioneer Newspaper – http://www.dailypioneer.com/vivacity/beyond-comics.html
